When you get right down to it, evil is the bottom line of bad. Evil is the star of several wise sayings like “The Evil that men do.” The person who wrote that Bartlett quotation didn’t feel the need to be all gender inclusive in that observation. There’s no such thing as “The Evil that men and women do.”
Most of the joints on today’s most wicked of playlist call out evil directly. So much so that it becomes a full time job.
Our title comes from a 1974 song “Career of Evil” from the Secret Treaties album by Blue Öyster Cult.
It was two years before their career defining doomsday advice “Don’t Fear the Reaper.” The lyrics were written by an unknown Patti Smith, who was dating the blue oyster keyboard player. She was a full year from the release of her first album.
LinkedIn doesn’t really list professional opportunities for Evil, but on Old School today we will hear how cold-blooded evil appears on many killer resumes. Howlin’ Wolf sensed it. Ozzy Osbourne reckoned with it on the first Black Sabbath album. Before she got respect Aretha Franklin embraced the dark side. Walt Disney employed villains on a regular basis. All of them rocked some sinister revelations. Evil afoot. Evil intentions. Evil empires built on evil careers.
Professor Mikey here, welcome to Old School #34. Its a dirty job but somebody’s got to do it. Check your skill sets and wonder what you have to do to get a promotion. It’s a wonderful life, but office politics are a bitch. Time to clock in for a performance review during this career of evil.
Hell yes…
CAREER OF EVIL Blue Oyster Cult (1974)
BUMBLE BEE LaVern Baker (1960)
TROUBLE Elvis Presley (1958)
EVIL GAL BLUES Aretha Franklin (1964)
EVIL (IS GOING ON) Howlin’ Wolf (1954)
CRUELLA DE VILLE Bill Lee (1961)
EVIL WOMAN Black Sabbath (1970)
EVIL WOMAN Spooky Tooth (1969)
EVIL WOMAN Electric Light Orchestra (1975)
YOUR GOOD GIRL’S A GONNA GO BAD Tammy Wynette (1967)
TAKE ME FROM THIS GARDEN OF EVIL Jimmy Wages (1957)
EVIL Steve Miller Band (1974)
EVIL Stevie Wonder (1972)
EVOL NOT LOVE The Five Americans (1966)
EVIL WAYS Willie Bobo (1967)
“The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.”
― Albert Einstein
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